1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to machines for retrieving "down" cotton (which has fallen onto the ground and is not harvestable by conventional cotton harvesting machines), and more particularly, to slotted belt cotton retrieving devices which are pulled, rather than pushed, along the ground on which "down" cotton lies.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous cotton retrieving machines and techniques have been previously implemented, patented, and marketed by the present inventor. The cotton retrieving systems referred to all have utilized transversely slotted retrieving belts which pass over the ground wherein, loose pieces of cotton, sometimes referred to as "ground cotton" or "down cotton", have fallen due to various causes, including weather conditions, other farm machinery, etc. The transversely slotted retrieving belts pass around upper and lower pulleys, causing the transverse slots to open and then close upon and grasp loose pieces of cotton as the retrieving belts contact the ground surface. The grasped cotton is lifted from the ground and transported by the retrieving belts toward the upper pulley supporting the transversely slotted belt; the transverse slots again open, releasing the pieces of retrieved cotton. Various mechanisms for receiving the released cotton and cleaning it have been utilized. For more information on such cotton retrieving machines and techniques, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,305,898, 3,173,544, 3,342,310, 3,399,767 3,467,991, 3,164,027, 3,399,518, 3,425,097, 3,382,544 and 2,670,584.
Although the above-mentioned cotton retrieving machines and techniques have been commercially very successful, the present state of the art has resulted from a generally continuous series of efforts to improve the efficiency of "down" cotton retrieving techniques and machines and to improve the cleanliness of the cotton retrieved thereby, and further, to reduce the cost and complexity of such "down" cotton retrieving machines and techniques.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide further improved cotton retrieving machines and techniques utilizing transversely slotted cotton retrieving belts by reducing the cost and complexity of such machines and techniques.
The known prior cotton retrieving devices all have utilized pulley assemblies for supporting the slotted retrieving belts, wherein the pulley assemblies are attached to and supported by an arm which was pivotally connected at a free end thereof to a frame member of the main body of a ground cotton retrieving machine. The pulley assemblies are pushed along the ground by means of the arm. As the earliest such pulley assemblies were pushed by the main body of the cotton retrieving machine, frictional contact between a lower portion of the elongated retrieving belts caused the retrieving belts and supporting pulleys to turn. These devices generally worked well except when exceptionally soft ground was encountered or unless relatively large rocks or lumps of dirt were encountered. In either event, there was a tendency for the portions of the retrieving belts contacting the soft ground or relatively large obstacles to begin "burrowing" or become pushed or wedged into the soft ground or to become blocked by the obstacle. This would frequently cause jamming and stopping of the entire ground cotton retrieving machine, thereby causing considerable inconvenience. Subsequently, this problem was substantially overcome by supplying rotational power to pulleys supporting the retrieving belts enabling the retrieving belts to "climb over" large obstacles and effectively move over soft ground. This solution has been very effective and has been utilized for many years, but adds considerably to the cost and complexity of the slotted belt supporting assemblies.
Therefore, another object of the invention is to provide an improved ground cotton retrieving belt support assembly which avoids the need for providing rotational power to pulleys which support retrieving belts, and efficiently functions on exceptionally soft ground and readily moves over large obstacles, such as rocks and large dirt in the path of the retrieving belts.